


To Infinity and Beyond

by writewithurheart



Series: Captain Marvel Drabbles [2]
Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/F, Post-Canon, Spoilers, between scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-14 18:09:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18057470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writewithurheart/pseuds/writewithurheart
Summary: It takes her a while to remember, and then she doesn't want to let go. So she doesn't.*CONTAINS SPOILERS*





	To Infinity and Beyond

**Author's Note:**

> Sort of a tie-in to "Home" but can be read on it's own.

**To Infinity and Beyond**

The house is familiar, like that memory of the doctor: a thought half-formed of someplace she once knew intimately. Even as she lands the bird in the yard, Vers knows this is the place. She lets Fury lead the way so she can take in the details. There’s a bike, faded paint on the mailbox, a car in the driveway. 

The porch creaks as she steps up. Vers shifts just to feel the movement of the boards under her boots. She moves around as Fury raps on the door. Hala was full of technology far more advanced than she’s found on C-52, but this place feels more comfortable than the home planet ever did. This building calls to her. 

She’s not surprised when the door opens and the woman inside stares at her in shock, when she whispers a name Vers doesn’t know. This won’t be easy to explain. 

… 

Vers - no, Carol - starts to remember as her hands drift over the pictures. The pieces start to fit together. Once they start to fall into place, the rest comes quickly. Maria Rambeau was never just a friend, a co-worker. She was the love of Carol Danvers’s life, of Vers’s life. She sees it in the looks, the sad smiles. 

Carol can’t imagine how rough her resurrection is for Maria. To Maria, she died six years ago. Maria lived for those years, moved on. She doesn’t expect that Maria would wait. Six years was a long time to wait. 

Her hands drift over the bomber jacket. Monica says she spilled ketchup on it, but the leather is obviously well-cared for. It’s been fixed up and worked on. It’s still worn, loved, even though she’s been gone. She runs her hand over the name patch: Carol “Avenger” Danvers. 

Lips stretch in a small smile. Avenger. She likes it. 

It fits. 

She doesn’t know how to tell Maria she remembers, and then opportunity is gone and they’re going into space. She wants to tell Maria, to confess that she knows and loves Maria to the bottom of her huge heart, but this mission is dangerous. They could die, and Maria has already moved on, so why reopen old wounds? 

She’s still not Carol, not completely, not until she remembers it all. That will be it. When that happens she will tell Maria: when all this is over and she remembers. 

But first there’s a villain to defeat.

...

She stands will the Skrull, looking at the shapeshifters as her heart breaks into pieces. She’s torn. It’s her duty to help the Sjrull, to find them a safe haven from the Kree, to atone for all the wrong she did in the name of a false cause. She became a tool for a gross evil and needs to regain her autonomy. 

Her eyes drift back to Maria, to the love she finally remembers. It’s not fair to tell her now. 

She walks towards Maria standing on the porch beside Fury. Carol’s eyes beg Maria to understand, to forgive her for leaving her yet again when Maria and Monica finally got her back. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Maria smiles sadly. “If there’s someone who needs saving, the Carol Danvers I know wouldn’t do anything different.” 

If this is goodbye, then Carol doesn’t want any regrets. She steps up and cups Maria’s cheek. “I am sorry, Maria.” 

Maria’s eyes glisten with tears and her jaw clenches with suppressed emotion as she stares into Carol’s eyes. “You remember?” 

“I died and left you alone.” She rests her forehead on Maria’s, closing her own eyes against the tears that have been building. “I got in that plane and I left the two of you thinking I was dead because of it.” 

“It wasn’t your fault.” 

Carol laughs. The tears escape in that moment, rivers of salt that run down her cheeks. “I kind of feel like it is.” 

“You didn’t chose to leave,” Maria whispers, brushing away Carol’s tears. It’s blurry through Carol’s eyes but she sees Maria’s smile. 

Carol kisses her before she pulls away abruptly. “I’m sorry. I don’t know if there’s someone else, if you have someone. I shouldn’t have-” 

Maria’s lips cut off the tirade. It’s messy and not smooth at all. They laugh into the kiss when teeth clash and Carol accidently bites Maria’s lip. It’s watery. Too much and not enough at the same time. 

“There hasn’t been anyone else,” Maria confesses softly as she pulls back. “Not anyone serious.” 

Carol laughs, with her own sad smile. “Me neither.” She takes a deep breath and glances back the Scrull and Fury, who are all absolutely not listening in. “Maria…” 

“I know,” Maria says. “You have to go.” 

“I don’t want to.” 

“But you have to,” Maria finishes, pulling back and wiping at her face. “I know Carol Danvers. She’s a hero. Just...keep in touch this time?” 

Carol laughs. “I will.” 

… 

She makes Earth a permanent spot on her detour list. She gives Fury an upgraded pager - which she’s still convinced gets him in trouble - and doesn’t contact him again. It’s safer that way. 

Maria and Monica get her hologram projector. Or rather, they get one from pieces she found around the farm and made work. It’s shody and she has to fix it on each visit, but it allows them to talk, wherever she is in the galaxy. There’s weekly calls, monthly chats, and visits she tries to make once an Earth year. It’s by no means a perfect system, but it’s wonderful to be able to call home when she needs to. 

She gets to be there for Monica’s graduation, gets to see her daughter enter the air force and take flight. She’s there to give her boy advice, even though it pretty much amounts to “be yourself and make sure he knows you can kick his butt.” 

About 15 years later, Carol stares at the television in the farmhouse, wearing only a t-shirt,  and stares at the destruction of New York City and a team of colorful heroes who saved it. She snorts at the name on the banner across the bottom of the screen: Avengers. 

“Think that was Fury?” she asks Maria. 

Maria wraps her arms around Carol’s waist and snuggles into her back. “Who cares. The threat is dealt with and you are home for once.” 

Carol grins and shares a kiss. The ring on her left hand catches her eye and she smiles at it, watching in fascination. She’s legally dead on Earth, so it isn’t necessarily legal, but the galaxy doesn’t care about these kind of things the way Earth does. As far as they’re concerned, they’ve been married ten years and it still amazes Carol everytime she catches sight of that ring on her finger. 

“Come to bed,” Maria whispers, cutting through Carol’s distraction as she pulls her by the hand and they disappear into the bedroom to make use of the time they have.

No, it’s not easy by any means. There are good days and bad days, and sometimes Carol doesn't make it home, but they're family. They will always be family. And Carol will love them for so long as there is breath in her body. To infinity and beyond.


End file.
